Spelunking
by read-a-holic17
Summary: This is probably one of the most random fic ideas in the world... It stemmed from a conversation with totti10/flashingbluelight and beautyofthend/chloehowman about Rita's apparent love for Spelunking from her wikis page and ended up nearly 2,000 words long... Summary: With a patient trapped Rita's spelunking skills come in handy. Mainly Rita but with a side of Iain.
**Spelunking.**

 **This is probably one of the most random fic ideas in the world... It stemmed from a conversation with totti10/flashingbluelight and beautyofthend/chloehowman about Rita's apparent love for Spelunking from her wikis page and ended up nearly 2,000 words long...**

 **Summary: With a patient trapped Rita's spelunking skills come in handy.**

 **I have no idea if this is any good so please just let me know what you think! x**

* * *

"Right we've had a red alert, we need a medic to attend a shout with the paramedics. 18 year old male trapped in a cave collapse. Who wants it?" Charlie asked the group gathered around the nurses' desk. Robyn, Ethan, Lily, Cal and Connie glanced at each other.

"Not for me." Robyn said, going back to the patient notes she was working on.

"I'm not great with small spaces Ethan mumbled.

Rita walked past, her head buried in her patient's notes.

"Nurse Freeman," Connie said, her voice icy and cold like normal.

"Yes." Rita said, her head snapping up as she prepared herself for another argument.

"You like small spaces don't you." Connie told her, as a fact rather than a question.

Rita just looked at her, Connie's face unreadable.

"It's a simple question nurse Freeman."

"Depends on the circumstances." Rita replied, not committing to anything.

"Entrapment, 18 years old, cave collapsed. Did I not read in your CV that you enjoy spelunking?" Connie asked.

The remaining group exchanging confused glances.

"I'll go get changed." Rita said, not wanting this exchange to go on any longer than it had to.

Connie and Charlie sharing a smile before retiring to work, leaving Robyn, Ethan, Cal and Lily to google what ever the hell spelunking was.

* * *

"So," Iain asked as he propped him sled up on his elbow in the doorway to the staffroom as Rita pulled up the zipper on her green jumpsuit, "you ready?"

"Always, Mr. Dean." Rita said, flashing a smile as she grabbed the medical kit and followed him to the ambulance.

The trip to the accident site wasn't too long, the caves just being out side Holby but it was spent with bad jokes, flirty banter and Iain's terrible choice of music.

"And we're here." Iain told her, pulling up to a sea of flashing blue lights and uniforms from all emergency services.

"Thanks for the ride." Rita smiled, clambering out medical kit in tow.

"You're welcome, I'll be here for a lift back," he smiled.

"Yeah, next time I'll choose the music." Rita smiled running off to the incident.

"Aw come on ACDC is classic." He called after her.

She turned flashing a smile and winking before snapping into her professional mode, preparing her self for the possibilities.

"Hello, I'm the medic." She told the fire officer and the senior paramedic in charge.

"Ok, we've got a 18 year old male, goes by the name of John, John was caving with his team, he was the last one in the group and got a little left behind. The cave collapsed blocking his way out, no other casualties. We've had a camera down there on a winch and he's alert but says he lost consciousness. His right leg is trapped and he's in a lot of pain." The paramedic told her.

"Right, let's get going." Rita said, pulling the harness that was offered to her out.

Iain had made his way over to offer any help he could.

"You really going down there?" He asked, looking in the direction of the tiny opening in the ground.

"Yeah, it's ok Iain. I've done it loads of times before." Rita smiled at his concern.

Iain looked at her, she was pulling her helmet on and getting ready to ascend.

"Fine, but stay safe yeah. I don't want to have to go down there to rescue you." He said.

"Don't worry Iain, I'm a pro." Rita smiled before climbing into the tiny opening attached to a safely line purely for her own safety and to abide the safety regulations of the trust.

* * *

Rita clambered down the ladder to the bottom, the torch on the helmet the only thing lighting her way.

"Hello?" she called out, tying to find her patient.

She heard a fair reply some distance away.

"Hold on I'm coming." She said.

She had to squeeze through the collapsed cave, the medical bag only just fitting through some gaps as she tried to cause no further structural damage.

After a few minutes of careful contortion she reached the male.

"Hello, I'm Rita. I'm a nurse and I'm going to get you out of here." She told the boy.

"Reets, you got him?" Iain's voice came through on the radio, his nickname for her making her cheeks blush.

"Yep, I'm just sorting him out now, can you send a board down on the ropes?" Rita asked as she observed the patient.

His leg wasn't too badly trapped and she could free him easily herself, but she would need a hand pulling him up on a board.

"It's on its way now." Iain told her.

"Ok, I'll be maybe half an hour." She said before hanging the radio on her belt once again.

* * *

"You're going to get me out of here?" The teenager asked her, his voice wavering.

"Yeah, I am. Now can you tell me your name?" Rita reassured him.

"John, my names John."

"Right, hello John. As I said I'm Rita. Now John, how badly did you hit your head?"

"I can't remember, I think I blacked out for a bit." He replied, his voice still riddled with fear.

"That's alright, don't worry." Rita said, her hand on his shoulder to reassure him.

"I'm stuck, I can't move my right leg." He told her.

"I know, it's ok. I'm going to get you out of here." Rita took a deep breath before continuing. "What in going to do, John, is get you to hold onto this and take some nice deep breaths for me when I tell you to." She said, holding out the tiny gas and air canister to him. "Not yet. Whilst you do that I'm going to lift this stalagmite and pull your leg out, it's going to hurt but we don't have any other option." Rita told him honestly. "You with me?" She asked him.

"Yeah," he replied, the concept clearly scaring him.

"John, listen to me." Rita said, "I need you to do this. Be really brave all right. I'll get you out of here." Rita told him. "Take nice deep breaths for me and calm down for a bit before I do anything. Just breathe. That's it." She said, watching as he calmed down.

"Lovely, now because I don't know what your spinal injuries are in going to put a collar around your neck, and go and get a spinal board." She told him. "I'm going to be 5 minutes, just keep taking those deep breaths for me yeah." She said was she slowly made her way back to the cave entrance.

"Right lads, I'm going to need some help here." She told the fire crew and paramedics at the top of the tunnel through her radio.

"Just tell us what to do." She heard Iain answer.

"I need a lot of slack and for you to pull it back really slowly when I say to and stop the moment I tell you." Rita told them.

"You're the boss." Iain responded as a whole load of rope was loosened and she was able to drag the board through the caves back to John.

* * *

"John, are you ready?" Rita asked when she got back to the teenager.

"Yeah," he replied, nervously.

"Just take nice deep breaths and hold onto that for me." She said handing him the canister if gas and air as she got ready to lift the rock.

She knew it was dangerous and that he could have a cut or anything understand but she had no other choice, she could see the walls of the cave collapsing as she watched, the half an hour she had told Iain was now cut to 15 minutes.

Taking a deep breath, making sure John was ready she used all her strength to lift the rock and move his leg out the way before she put it back down. She knew she now had minutes to get him strapped to the board and at least part way along the tunnel before where they currently were fell in.

"Right that's it John, I know it hurts but we've got to move now, keep taking those deep breaths for me, it's nearly over." She told the teenager.

He was clearly in a lot of pain but luckily there was nothing stuck in his leg and no open wound that was gushing blood and in need of attention. Rita was certain he'd have at least one fracture but she couldn't do anything about that right now.

She pulled the board up next to him as he lay on his side already and managed to get him strapped to it with as little movement to his spine as possible.

She pulled her radio out and spoke into it.

"Right on my say so." Rita said, "pull. Go." Rita told them. The board sliding over the mess or rocks and crumbling cave as the fire crew and paramedics pulled the rope from above.

"Stop." Rita commanded as they reached a narrow gap. And the board stopped. Rita managed to manipulate the board so it would fit through the gap, checking on John who told her he was all right, she told the team to go again. It took them all of ten minutes and they were at the opening. The board was attached to a winch and pulled vertically up the ladder and out into the clearing above.

* * *

Rita made her way up and was greeted with a round of applause from the crew. Blushing she saw Iain. Standing off to her left still clapping even after everyone else's had stopped. John had been taken to the back of another teams ambulance to go to the ED, Rita left to ride back with Iain.

"Impressive Miss Freeman." Iain smiled, a proud look on his face as Rita made her way over.

"Why thank you Mr. Dean." Rita returned the smile.

"Where did you learn to do that?"

"Nurses school Iain. Where else?" She laughed.

"Not the medical thing, the abseiling down tiny cracks in the ground thing." Iain laughed as he took her medical bag and helmet from her.

"Well I always knew having Spelunking as a hobby would one day pay off. I bagsy picking the music!" She smiled, heading back to the emergency car they had come in.

Iain smiled back at her, before a wave of confusion hit him.

"Wait, what the hells spelunking?"

* * *

 **So for those of you who haven't guessed:**

 **1\. Spelunking is basically caving**

 **2\. I'm absolutely mad! :)**

 **Please let me know what you think! x**


End file.
